Genre
Historical fiction
Setting and Context
The novel is set in Calcutta and London during the 1980s, with frequent flashbacks to earlier times.
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed first person narrator tells the story.
Tone and Mood
The tone is reflective; the mood is melancholy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The narrator is the protagonist; his grandmother is his primary antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel is the narrator's effort to understand the circumstances and meaning of Tridib's death.
Climax
The climax of the novel occurs when Tridib encounters the violent mob in Dhaka.
Foreshadowing
Tridib's death is foreshadowed by his absence in the present timeline of the novel.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to multiple major historical events including the Partition of India, the Riots of 1962-64, and the London Blitz.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is parallelism between the riots in Calcutta and Dhaka.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
